Belle and Sebastian Made a Scottish World Cup Anthem

For the first time in 28 years, Scotland’s national football team is gearing up for a World Cup run, after qualifying in last-minute fashion in 2025. The perennial underdogs may need more than luck, and indeed, thanks to Belle and Sebastian, they have it: Today, the Glaswegian indie-pop darlings have delivered their bid for a tournament anthem in “It Only Takes One Lion.” Join them in pledging allegiance to the Tartan Army below.

Stuart Murdoch, pictured as a wee bairn below, said in a press release, “It’s a personal song about following the travails of Scotland’s national team for the last 50 years and it came out naturally the day after the game against Denmark. The song tries to encompass the experience of the whole country following Scotland.” Pete Ferguson, aka Wuh Oh, produced and co-wrote the song.

Belle and Sebastian are in the midst of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversaries of Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister. The former was released on June 6, 1996—four days before Scotland held firm for an unlikely draw against Holland in their opening game of Euro 96. Gary McAllister and the team went on to lose to England, beat Switzerland, and narrowly fail to exit the group stage, leading to a period of national sorrow only lifted by the release of If You’re Feeling Sinister that November.